On a Whole Other Level

“Getting to rub shoulders with world-class rugby stars like Richie McCaw and Dan Carter is just one of the many benefits young players from around the world are experiencing at the Canterbury and Crusaders International High Performance Unit,” New York Times correspondent Emma Stoney writes. “The unit, which is based in Christchurch, has had a stream of players and coaches come through its doors over the past couple of years to learn from and experience rugby at one of the country’s most successful provinces and Super Rugby franchises. Jeremy Chacon, a 2-year-old prop for the University of Northern Colorado, has taken a semester off from his studies to come to the unit for two months. ‘I’m very surprised at the level that players are at,” said Chacon, whose ambition is to become a professional rugby player. It is at a “whole other level” compared with the United States, he said. ‘New Zealand is the rugby Mecca and it’s awesome. I love it. I’m passionate about rugby.’”